There is a lot of discussion here regarding bug out bags, much of it very good. As this IS a California based forum, I think it is wise to consider the Get Home Bag as an essential.

Many Californians work 25 miles or more from home. When the BIG ONE hits, do you think you can drive home? Have you counted the number of bridges you drive on in your commute. How many underpasses? Do you always have enough gas in your tank to make it home when you arrive at work, or do you sometimes have to gt gas on the way home? When San Andreas moves big time there may not be electricity to run the gas pumps for several days.

You should have a bag that contains some basic protection against the elements, food, water, basic first aid, walking shoes and other essential items in your car at all times.

I work 43 miles from my home, by freeway miles. If I can not drive, I am prepared to make the trek home, even though it will take a second day to make it.

How about sharing what items you believe essential to make it home from work when California has the big Rocker?

This is a big one for me. I work about 40 miles from home where my family is. I always keep my GHB with me.

I'm prepared to get home by foot over the course of a few days. I have the usual food, water and travel clothes. I have a GPS and map with direct and alternate routes. Basic shelter with rope and space blankets. Multi-tool, knife, fire, light, batteries, 2-meter radio, medical kit.

I have experimented with the contents and weight. It currently sits at 19 pounds which feels really heavy. Mostly due to the food and water (MRE and pouches). I plan to go to food bars which should help. The nice thing is that it will get lighter as I eat/drink

My biggest challenge will be crossing the bay. If the bridges are out, I could "borrow" a boat. Worst case is I would have to walk around the bay but I am pretty close to that end.

None of this would be fun but I am confident I could make it. I still have tweaks to make to my bag and plan but I feel it's a good start.

I work 2 days a week about 110 miles from home. I am an EMT and carry 2 full medical trauma bags, clothes for a week and a survival bag with matches, lighters, space blanket, tarp, plastic bags (The biggest green ones you can find), binoculars, some food bars, several bags of almonds, water filtering kit, pint water bottle, rope, flashlight, shoes and a change of clothes. I try to carry several hundred dollars with me, several knives. I would hate to think about having to walk 100 miles home but what can you do except prepare. I have slept outside many times and I know how cold it can get. Being able to start a fire and having plastic bags to break the wind makes a world of difference. Having several flashlights is fine, except you have to remember to use them when it is appropriate.

Something I should have but don't is fishing line and fishing equipment. After a day or two, catfish from the canals are going to be looking mighty fine. A net would be a good idea as well, quick and lightweight.

Nightvision glasses would be really nice, but not something I can afford.

I have 3 packs of playing cards. Lightweight, good to start fires and for trading.

A gun would be nice, but then you come back to A) long distance - someone with a rifle could pin you down till dark B) Lightweight pistol - Nice to have a Kahr PM40 and 3 full mags but that rifle can shoot much more accurately from a distance C) Defense shotgun - who wants to argue with a shotgun at any short range, and you can fire slugs accurately to 100 yards

I work 2 days a week about 110 miles from home. I am an EMT and carry 2 full medical trauma bags, clothes for a week and a survival bag with matches, lighters, space blanket, tarp, plastic bags (The biggest green ones you can find), binoculars, some food bars, several bags of almonds, water filtering kit, pint water bottle, rope, flashlight, shoes and a change of clothes. I try to carry several hundred dollars with me, several knives. I would hate to think about having to walk 100 miles home but what can you do except prepare. I have slept outside many times and I know how cold it can get. Being able to start a fire and having plastic bags to break the wind makes a world of difference. Having several flashlights is fine, except you have to remember to use them when it is appropriate.

Something I should have but don't is fishing line and fishing equipment. After a day or two, catfish from the canals are going to be looking mighty fine. A net would be a good idea as well, quick and lightweight.

Nightvision glasses would be really nice, but not something I can afford.

I have 3 packs of playing cards. Lightweight, good to start fires and for trading.

A gun would be nice, but then you come back to A) long distance - someone with a rifle could pin you down till dark B) Lightweight pistol - Nice to have a Kahr PM40 and 3 full mags but that rifle can shoot much more accurately from a distance C) Defense shotgun - who wants to argue with a shotgun at any short range, and you can fire slugs accurately to 100 yards

I thought long and hard about my bag. To me I consider my get home bag and my bug out bag one in the same. I carry it always on me with the only difference when I am not going to and from work I add my glock 17.

I use a voodo tactical large bag when looking at it it seems over whelming, but it carries everything I need for a basic bug out and basic get home. I have been carrying it with me just to get use to it when I go hiking and while a little on the heavy side the bag carries the weight well.

I work on military base which is why I do not carry my glock in my truck. I work about 25 miles from home and I figure if I can make it to the fashion valley area I can hike it out along mission trails to stay off the beaten path till I can make it home.

Since my bag is dual use I have 72 hrs worth of food for my son and I.
My son is 7 and with a heart problem he tires easily so I chose to give him a bag with mainly water and clothes and I carry the brunt of it. I keep water and purify tablets as well as a smaller stove and a msr propane can. I keep all the essential survival things in my back first aid and emergency blankets. (I might do a wright up on my bag soon for outside opinions) I have change of
Clothes and hiking boots in my car.

When hiking or anywhere else than going to work I add my glock 17 w/ mags of Ammo and my black hawk holster.

I haven't weighted my bag but I would assume in the 20-25lbs range. I know some people wouldn't like that heavy but since I have been hiking with it
Every where I go I am use to it now.

I just completed my first Bug Out / Get Home Bag. My plan is to get to my parents house in Nuevo. I work 25 miles from there (Driving) and my home is 2miles (walking) /13miles (driving). I feel I can last at least 3 days with my pack. I work LE, so if im working I also have a Rem. 870 and M&P.45 with extra ammo. I always carry my Bodyguard .380 on my person.

The combined weight of the Pack, The Sleeping bag, and the Ruger bag is 28.3 Lbs. Without the Ruger bag its at 19.6 lbs. I could add more onto the outside of the pack, but I feel the current weight is the limit where I can still be quick on my feet.

I also work about 30 miles from home.
I carry basix essentials with me at all times, always within arms reach (even at work, I work at a desk)
I use a very small and compact set up at this time, I will be making changes and adding more.
As it sits right now:

In a locking file cabinet in my office, all packed in a very non-tactical looking light backpack. I work only about 7 miles from home, but across 2 major faults and through a very urban area. I don't need food to go 7 miles, but I may need the pry bar, gloves, hacksaw blade, quik clot, dressings, etc. Not shown but kept with the bag are good walking shoes and protective gloves.

I have a GHB of sorts because I work 30+ miles away from home. I'll abandon my car and head out cross country away from the roads and possible gangs. I keep it light, so I've got some food, water, and a jacket. Not to mention a couple pepper sprays.

This may be a bit off topic, but recently I added a few items next to my GHB that I also keep in my vehicle. We all have read stories about people being stranded in a snow storm in the mountains, and then dying while waiting for help to arrive. With that in mind, I added some extra supplies (food, water, space blankets, etc.) for the other family members (including the dogs) who may be travelling with me on long trips. These extra supplies are not necessarily to "get home", but to survive if we get stuck in a storm for a few days. If I am prepared with my GHB, I figure that I/we also should prepare for the possibility of being stranded for a few days.

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When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. -- Thomas Jefferson

I live up about 1600' on top of a mountain, about 18 mile commute but all uphill so really not many 'alternative routes'.

I keep a backpack on me daily with some stuff. Plus I have another bag and two military modular sleep systems (with the waterproof bivy included) under the backseat bench of my truck. I usually drive my motorcycle in nice weather (so about 7 months of the year) which means all I have is my backpack. But it also gives me more abilities to get around problems and traffic in the event of 'the big one' hitting my area.

My GHB which is my daily carry backpack has a good bit of stuff in it. This is all from memory so I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Bag weight - about 15 pounds:

bic lighter wrapped in gorilla tape and a zip tie to keep it from getting pressed and leaking the gas

map of the greater bay area since I still don't know all the roads well

glasses case with extra glasses in case I'm wearing contacts and dust or whatever is problematic

shemagh

brunton portable solar panel with AA charger

cell phone charger

poncho

zip ties

Here's a pic of all the contents:

In my truck bag (not on my person unless I'm having to walk home due to an earthquake or whatever):

Mora knife

Large road flares in case of a breakdown on the road

Two 5x8 tarps

poncho liner x2

more paracord

small version of the Stanley Fubar

Extra tools for the truck in case of roadside problem

zip ties

On my person:

phone/wallet/keys

Kershaw folder

Leatherman P4 multitool

PT709 slim with IWB holster - when at work it stays legally locked up in the truck or stored locked in bike

Danner gore-tex waterproof boots and wool socks

Paracord bracelet has about 9 feet of paracord and just looks cool.

water resistant jacket with a altoids tin in the pocket that's full of extra goodies like a small LED light, extra Leatherman PS4, water tab, bandaids, neosporin, etc.

Here's a pic of my pocket contents (I emptied them before this picture) and the bag itself.

This is the bottom of my backpack, I've weaved 50' of paracord and then pulled it through the molle webbing on the bottom of the backpack:

The absolute worst case situation is something happens at work and I can't even get to my truck/bike (say falling building demolished it or whatever) so I have nothing but what's on me and my backpack.

If I can get to my truck, my 'best case situation' is to get as far as I can with the truck and when the roads become unpassable (kinda like when a wreck happens on 101 during rushhour but 100x worse), I grab my GHB backpack and strap whatever I can to it from my truck bags using paracord and bungees to make it home without being over burdened by weight - ideally keeping it under 20 pounds which is just under 1/5 my body weight.

Because I am climbing 1600 feet up a mountain to get home, it's not a straight shot but instead windy narrow roads which may have been covered by falling redwoods and the like, I can't be sure I can do it in one day (assuming night time and weather).

I may need to shelter for the night to warm up or dry off. So I have at least a tarp and blanket and ways to safely start fire to dry or warm up.

Because earthquakes scare the beejeebus out of me, it's something I've thought about a lot. If people are interested, I can post pictures later on when I get home and update the list with anything I missed.

edited: to add items I missed

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WTB: multiautomatic ghost gun with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Must include shoulder thing that goes up.

I don't commute as far as many here but I do have a GHB packed in the car. I travel occasionally to further locations than just my daily commute and I would certainly forget the bag for those outings if it weren't there on a daily basis.

It contains pretty much all the basics others have listed so I won't belabor that point. I do also carry a couple of axes in the car... a full-sized axe, and a lighter "boy" axe which is a scaled down version of the full-size. I need a good place to mount it (the boy axe) on the bag for hands-free carry.

The bag also contains a folded Kel-Tec Sub 2000 which takes the same ammo and mags as one of my carry guns. It's a small, light bag like the E-S above, and the KT2K just barely fits - but it does fit. If I have a 3 day walk home through a chaotic situation (with plenty of desperate people or just people taking advantage of the lawless environment for a little "fun") I'll be glad to have both a long gun capable of accurate fire at further distance than my pistol and also a back-up piece in case my carry gun goes down on me. I really do not want to be spotted carrying a long gun if I can avoid it, but really like having it available upon demand if I need it. So the folding KTS2k really works for me in this context. Sharing mags with my carry gun is a HUGE plus.

I don't think it's warranted packing a tent, sleeping bag, etc in a GHB. For one or two nights, I can huddle up somewhere for a few hours z's. You can't live like that long term, but a couple of nights won't kill me. A tent isn't secure anyway. The GHB should be built for speed, a BOB more for depth. Keep light, keep fast.

Not sure if it was mentioned but some small bills in cash and some change should be kept. Anything you can buy along the way is something you won't have to carry. Sometimes pay phones work when cell service is offline. Sometimes vendors will take cash even when power is out and charge-cards aren't working. Change works for vending machines if they're working.

Maps? GPS is a godsend if it is working for you but there are a lot of things that can go wrong with technology. Paper backup maps (laminated can be made or bought) are important. You might be re-routing around your familiar trek home due to collapsed infrastructure or other local hazard. Better to see the squggly lines on the paper than to try to guess it by "dead reckonning", because if you're dead wrong, you might end up just plain dead.

Don't forget to take advantage of transport when available. Sure, we're assuming at some point you may have to abandon your vehicle. That doesn't mean you might not be able to walk out to an area where transport is still working. Sometimes a good Samaritan will help you out with a lift. Public transportation may also be an option once you're outside the immediate affected area. Bus, train, ferry - these are other reasons you don't want to be seen openly carrying a long-gun. You likely wouldn't be allowed on public transport with an openly displayed firearm. Every mile you can ride, is a mile you don't have to walk. More importantly, every hour you can ride is an hour you are not exposed to the hazards faced by a lone walker out in the miles between outposts of safety.

Lastly, how is your bag secured? It's nice if you can keep it on you at all times. In reality, that's not always practical for everyone. I don't like taking a bag to and from a vehicle because that's how things get forgotten on the one day you finally actually need it. If the bag lives in the car full time, how do you secure it? I have an SUV so there's no trunk or compartment for it. You can use luggage locks to secure the zippers. And you can use a bicycle cable lock to run through all the straps on the pack, where someone would have to destroy the pack to get it out of the car. No, that won't stop every thief, but it will thwart the casual snatch artist who wants to grab and go, rather than figure out what is holding up the bag and where to cut it etc... don't forget to cover the bag... a blanket or even plastic trash bag will protect it from dust and from view. Keep the cable and lock with you if you actually have to GH... you probably can't wear the bag while sleeping and it would be a disaster to wake up and find it gone. Secure that bag.

Agree, but a small lightweight tarp or a more rugged quilted 'mylar blanket' can help you get out of the elements if you need to huddle down for a few zz's without sacrificing weight. A hammock rainfly is a good option too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruss01

Not sure if it was mentioned but some small bills in cash and some change should be kept. Anything you can buy along the way is something you won't have to carry. Sometimes pay phones work when cell service is offline. Sometimes vendors will take cash even when power is out and charge-cards aren't working. Change works for vending machines if they're working.

QFT! Should keep cash on hand. If an earthquake has shut a lot down, cash is the way to go. Small bills a must!

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruss01

Maps? GPS is a godsend if it is working for you but there are a lot of things that can go wrong with technology.

Again QFT! A small paper map of the area in a freezer zip-lock bag and a compass. You don't need to have awesome orienteering skills to make it home in an urban area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruss01

Lastly, how is your bag secured?

Good point. Personally, I have an SUV so keeping things out of sight is a must.
Putting things under seats is a good way to do that. Also keeping your vehicles non-descript is another good one. Not flashy and mine is usually dirty.
You could always get a bicycle lock and lock them down to the steel seat brackets and padlock the zippers. If someone wants to take the time after breaking in to unbolt or cut your bags free or bolt cutters to get in, then there's not much else you can do.
If someone were to break in and steal my truck bags, I wouldn't be out but maybe $150 in gear which includes the two modular sleep systems. Not much.

One thing to note, if you keep cash in your bag and your bag mostly stays in the car... don't keep the cash IN the bag. So if it did get stolen, they wouldn't get cash.

Another thing I wanted to mention is to keep your fuel tanks at least half full all the time, no excuses. Don't ride it to empty ever.

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WTB: multiautomatic ghost gun with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Must include shoulder thing that goes up.

Sorry, I feel obliged to comment on the inclusion of an axe with a pack that I have said needs to be "light & fast".

I think an axe is a very useful tool. On a true "get home" trek I would not expect to use it for chopping trees, which I think would be a poor use of time and energy. But it does make a great tool for:

hacking your way out of somewhere you have become trapped (such as a building you holed up in for the night, which has been damaged by an aftershock during the night)

Leverage
Hammering
Passive defense (seriously dude, who attacks a guy carrying an axe? Nobody, that's who). As mentioned there are reasons not to openly carry a firearm, and without SOMETHING formidable visible you look like an unarmed supply depot. And I'm not about to bring an axe to a gun fight, but bring an axe to a knife fight, stick-fight or fistfight? I'm down with that.

It's just such a useful tool, I would make room for it on my pack. By choosing the scaled down "boy" axe, I get the benefits of the long handle (reach) but save some of the weight over toting a full-sized axe.

I had a small hand axe in my pack but I'm pretty tight on space and the extra weight didnt seem to be worth it. After thinking about having to possibly smash out of a trapped situation, I think I'm going to try to attached it on the outside of the pack somewhere.

I love the red pack posted earlier. Great gift idea for family members

__________________
TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

I love the superglue for first aid kit. You can perform miracles with it.
Same with duct tape and a little wire.
Leather gloves are another great idea, protection if you are digging something out or get in a bad spot

My wife says "You better pack some feminine products or I will make your life very uncomfortable if I am at that time" So some products are being added.

She says she is packing her own kit and it is going to include a radio, 2 way radios, extra batteries, advil, toothbrush and toothpaste. Gotta take care of your teeth if the SHTF

I also like the idea of matches and tinder in pill bottles. Keep em dry and easy to light.

I only work 3 miles from home but am 20+ miles away once in awhile. If I could give any advice it would be to first take a nice long walk with your pack to see if you can huck it without getting exhausted, vacuum pack stuff (clothes)if you can.

I am not going to pack a tent or sleeping bag, there are places to hunker down for the night if need be for a couple nights, rather that be abandon/deserted buildings, maintenance rooms for the antennas up in the hills. dont really plan on taking anything other than cat-naps unless I burn a crap load of energy moving. Also I wouldnt carry an exposed weapon like a rifle or shotgun unless the situation was really bad and I was only moving at night. Might be worth starting a thread about hunkering down in abandoned/deserted buildings for resting up.

I've talked about my simple get home bags before. I have two depending on how far I'll be from home and I take both when I take a lady friend out of town for the weekend. To me a critical part of picking out a GHB is keeping it small enough where you're never tempted to leave it behind to make room for something else as well as light enough to carry. To that end I started out my short distance kit with a tiny Quakehold Grab-'n-Go 2-person/3-day kit ($39 @ Walmart or Amazon) and a case of bottled water. I've since moved the contents of the kit into Camelbak M.U.L.E. 100oz hydration pack and to that I've added or swapped in:

This is a big one for me. I work about 40 miles from home where my family is. I always keep my GHB with me.

I'm prepared to get home by foot over the course of a few days. I have the usual food, water and travel clothes. I have a GPS and map with direct and alternate routes. Basic shelter with rope and space blankets. Multi-tool, knife, fire, light, batteries, 2-meter radio, medical kit.

I have experimented with the contents and weight. It currently sits at 19 pounds which feels really heavy. Mostly due to the food and water (MRE and pouches). I plan to go to food bars which should help. The nice thing is that it will get lighter as I eat/drink

My biggest challenge will be crossing the bay. If the bridges are out, I could "borrow" a boat. Worst case is I would have to walk around the bay but I am pretty close to that end.

None of this would be fun but I am confident I could make it. I still have tweaks to make to my bag and plan but I feel it's a good start.

I bet there would be many ferries running as well as shuttles running as possible.

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California's politicians and government employees are a crime gang that makes the Mexican drug cartels look like a Girl Scout Troop in comparison.

* 'borrow a boat' - some boat owners at Calguns suggest an attempt to borrow a boat will be met with resistance, lots of it. Plans to get from one side of a significant water barrier to another need to include walking around, or making a deal with a boat owner.

* At work, some folks will not be near their personal, regular location when disaster strikes. If your GHB is in your cube, and you are in a meeting on a different floor, and the quake drops the half of the building with your cube area ... onto your vehicle in the underground parking or sideways onto the parking lot ...

What is it that you ALWAYS have with you, pocket or purse, that will help you GH without your planned GHB?

* 'borrow a boat' - some boat owners at Calguns suggest an attempt to borrow a boat will be met with resistance, lots of it. Plans to get from one side of a significant water barrier to another need to include walking around, or making a deal with a boat owner.

I'd be smart about it. I used to work on the water where boats were plentiful. I suspect people would be pretty helpful depending on the disaster. A mutually agreeable boat ride wouldn't surprise me.
I now work off 237 so hoofing it would be plan A.

I agree with the bag storage. I keep mine in my car and my car away from buildings. The summer heat isn't good for the food but I can rotate it out.

sholling, a walking stick in the car is a great idea! So simple yet so many uses.
I'm gonna put my collapsing hiking poles in my truck tonight.

That's a good idea I should move my collapsing hiking poles from the BOB at home to the car. What I have in the car now is a Cold Steel City Stick. Another option is a staff. I usually take the hickory staff when I walk a trail.

__________________
"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." --FREDERIC BASTIAT--

Proud Life Member: National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation.

There is a lot of discussion here regarding bug out bags, much of it very good. As this IS a California based forum, I think it is wise to consider the Get Home Bag as an essential.

Many Californians work 25 miles or more from home. When the BIG ONE hits, do you think you can drive home? Have you counted the number of bridges you drive on in your commute. How many underpasses? Do you always have enough gas in your tank to make it home when you arrive at work, or do you sometimes have to gt gas on the way home? When San Andreas moves big time there may not be electricity to run the gas pumps for several days.

You should have a bag that contains some basic protection against the elements, food, water, basic first aid, walking shoes and other essential items in your car at all times.

I work 43 miles from my home, by freeway miles. If I can not drive, I am prepared to make the trek home, even though it will take a second day to make it.

How about sharing what items you believe essential to make it home from work when California has the big Rocker?

Nice.... I'm not the only one that thinks this way.

I work 60miles away from home (San Clemente - Temecula). I figured it would take me two days to walk home if all major freeways are shut down after a major earthquake.

I keep a bag in each one of my cars just for such scenario... for me or my wife.

You should have a bag that contains some basic protection against the elements, food, water, basic first aid, walking shoes and other essential items in your car at all times.

For those of us who are too laid back to prepare our own kits, you can pick up a low cost bare-essentials kit. The severe weather survival kits are very compact and I keep one in each car. They even include heat reflective survival blanket.

Even if a major earthquake were to suddenly jam up all the roads, it's not as if you'd have to walk through some post-apocalyptic wasteland on your way back home. I'm sure there will be plenty of 7-11s and gas station convenience stores on the route back. Society will not disappear in the day or so it takes for you to walk back home.

Even if a major earthquake were to suddenly jam up all the roads, it's not as if you'd have to walk through some post-apocalyptic wasteland on your way back home. I'm sure there will be plenty of 7-11s and gas station convenience stores on the route back. Society will not disappear in the day or so it takes for you to walk back home.

What if some of those gas stations are damaged and unsafe because fuel lines may have ruptured? We're talking about earthquakes after all.

If it's bad enough, I would imagine that minimum wage workers in the stores that are still standing will most likely want to lock their doors and go to see about their families and make sure everyone's safe and then check damage to their own homes.

Best case situation, it's just a parking lot on the roads and all grocery stores/convenience stores are all still operating as if nothing happened. But it's a very big possibility that ATMs and credit card machines are down after an earthquake.

Look at our own history in this country with natural disasters. Being ready for anything takes a strain off of first responders at the very least.

I'd rather be safe than sorry. That's cool if you don't, your life is yours to live however you like.

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WTB: multiautomatic ghost gun with a .30-caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Must include shoulder thing that goes up.

One can expect electrical power outages for a day or three after a significant seismic event -

Quote:

Lesson 27: Power outages in downtown San Francisco lasted several days following the earthquake due to the need for time-consuming inspections of major buildings for gas leaks and ignition sources prior to energizing the downtown power grid. This was the largest single source of business interruption resulting from the Loma Prieta earthquake.

If the route 'home' compels travel through (rather than across and out of) the area of power failure, any hike longer than a couple of hours is likely to find such small stores closed (and probably defended).

If the route 'home' compels travel through (rather than across and out of) the area of power failure, any hike longer than a couple of hours is likely to find such small stores closed (and probably defended).

I've been through areas with extended power outages or after big earthquakes. Shopkeepers just switched over to cash. The only ones that would ever be defended are those stores that are family owned and operated. And if anything, small, independently owned stores are the ones that will insist on staying open. They lose their inventory, they lose their livelihood. My parents owned a convenience store most my life. Disasters never made them close.

For those of us who are too laid back to prepare our own kits, you can pick up a low cost bare-essentials kit. The severe weather survival kits are very compact and I keep one in each car. They even include heat reflective survival blanket.

That's where this 2-person/3-day kit with pack comes in. It's cheaper and has more supplies and if you want a cheap folding shovel you can get them from $10-70 depending on quality. It's really more of a 1-person/3-day if you're burning calories walking but there is room for more stuff (see my earlier posting). If you have kids then something like this basic or deluxe 4-person/3-day kit makes since.

Quote:

Originally Posted by madoka

Some of you guys need a reality check.

Even if a major earthquake were to suddenly jam up all the roads, it's not as if you'd have to walk through some post-apocalyptic wasteland on your way back home. I'm sure there will be plenty of 7-11s and gas station convenience stores on the route back. Society will not disappear in the day or so it takes for you to walk back home.

Gas stations can't pump gas without electricity and while a few mom and pop stores will be open 99% of stores will not run without electricity. BTW you won't be the only one shopping at that 1% of stores that remain open so expect them to be empty within hours.

__________________
"Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else." --FREDERIC BASTIAT--

Proud Life Member: National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment Foundation.

Gas stations can't pump gas without electricity and while a few mom and pop stores will be open 99% of stores will not run without electricity. BTW you won't be the only one shopping at that 1% of stores that remain open so expect them to be empty within hours.

You seemed to have forgotten the purpose of a GHB. It's to get home. In this case, you don't care about gas anyways because presumably you now have to walk home. But that doesn't mean that you car is now suddenly on empty. That doesn't mean you need heavy rations for your day long walk. That doesn't mean food and water riots will begin the day some disaster happens.

Finally, you don't need 99% of stores to be open. Just the ones that can sell you food and water. And those convenience stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets will all just switch over to cash.

Finally, you don't need 99% of stores to be open. Just the ones that can sell you food and water. And those convenience stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets will all just switch over to cash.

Anything bigger than a mom&pop is likely to close. Without power, no lights; in a big store, the big windows at the front don't light up the back, and few stores have many other windows. It's certainly true for Safeway/Lucky in Concord for simple power fails; can't predict what they would do for something more ambitious.

But if more than a few M&Ps would stay open, inaccessible supermarkets are not an issue for a passerby.

I agree that the ones defended would most likely be the family-owned stores. Corporations rely on insurance - ask any pizza delivery driver or stop&rob clerk who was fired for defending himself.

But if you need to walk out of an area that looks more like this , and your route home follows the Mercalli IX zone, it seems best to have a couple things in your bag so you need not rely on foraging/buying on the way.

You seemed to have forgotten the purpose of a GHB. It's to get home. In this case, you don't care about gas anyways because presumably you now have to walk home. But that doesn't mean that you car is now suddenly on empty. That doesn't mean you need heavy rations for your day long walk. That doesn't mean food and water riots will begin the day some disaster happens.

The tin foil smiley seems to be the favorite tool those looking to justify their own refusal to prep. I have to ask why are you in a survival thread if you think it's going to rain kool-aid and candy on your way home? But your theory is fine if you're healthy and uninjured, a one day walk from home, there are no major detours, and you're in an area where water is plentiful all along the way without any electricity to pump it and the pipes aren't broken. But you also need to realize that not everyone is in your exact same situation.

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Finally, you don't need 99% of stores to be open. Just the ones that can sell you food and water. And those convenience stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets will all just switch over to cash.

That's right up there with hitching rides on unicorns. A few mom and pops might remain open in your area but I have yet to see a supermarket or 7-11 switch to cash during a major power outage and if they did most working there lack the math skills to make change - assuming they have any. But beyond that if it's a major quake or social unrest or earthquake with mass looting situation you have people that will want to get home to check on their own families and you're likely to see a run on any stores that are still open. But you're too smart to prepare for any of that.

Of course not all of us have just a few hours worth of walking past scores of friendly abacus equipped mom and pop stores overflowing with supplies. Some live further and may not pass anything including water for 20 miles or more. Some have kids and aren't going to make 25 miles a day with a herd of hungry toddlers. Some up north may even have to contend with snow and that GHB becomes their sit out being snowed in bag. That's why we have survival and preparation threads. BTW if you do get stranded it's a whole lot easier to take what you decide based on current circumstances that don't need out of your bag and leave it than it is to conjure up what you neglected to pack in the first place and suddenly realize that you need.

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